Making coffee from a French Press

How to make the perfect cup of coffee from a French press is a question I get asked a lot , so I thought I would create this post.  I have four French presses, from $39.99 from Starbuck’s to $5.99 from a thrift store. I use all of them . Bodum is recognized as a leading maker of a French press, and you can pick up a Bodum from Target or Starbucks  for $39.99. I get my coffee from Trader Joe’s and I grind the coffee coarse . A French press requires coffee of a coarser grind , as finer grounds will seep through the press filter and into the coffee.  I keep my coffee in an airtight stainless steel container.

I measure 1 tablespoon of coffee for every cup of boiling water. If you like stronger coffee measure 1 1/2 tablespoons for every cup of boiling water .  Most French presses are 6 to 8 cups.

Pour in your boiling water.

Stir it and leave to brew for four minutes, then press the plunger all the way down to trap the coffee grounds at the bottom of the beaker.

Because the coffee grounds remain in direct contact with the brewing water and the grounds are filtered from the water via a mesh instead of a paper filter, coffee brewed with the French press captures more of the coffee’s flavour.

Pour your coffee  immediately into your coffee cup.

Now you have a cup of rich robust coffee.

I love to use cream for my coffee with raw suger…

add a french cookie and enjoy !

Please let me know if you have any more questions and I will email you back, and thank-you for all your emails,

am sharing this post with .abeachcottage

 xoxo Cheryl.

Where did March go ???

 March is over, wow, where did March go ??? I have been at the gym six days a week now,(only Sundays off ) and I admit I am addicted to the gym. Thanks to my friend Claudia who makes sure I go and meet her at every class they offer !! Piloxing,  power yoga, spin, and power pump to name a few. My body aches, my legs are sore and I feel limp. I have only lost 8 pounds, but I feel much toner, and Claudia has lost 20 pounds !!  I have been working on my books on blurbs.com almost every night, and I ADMIT it takes a lot of time to create and write a book.  One of my readers said my posts were only one  picture posts. Gee, I feel bad. I have had photo shoots this month , and I  have a few weddings coming up so I have been on the web, and finally found and  bought a beautiful new zoom lens.  I wanted to do the green thing for the month of March, but never got around to it. I took some photos so I guess I should post them now. My favorite green items for the month of March, (or the last day of March  anyway).

 

 Green tea to keep the extra weight off, green tea mints because I love them, Pure- via  a natural sweetener,  Candied ginger, and Ginger brew for stomach aches. Most of these items are from Trader Joes, except the Pure-via which I purchased from Costco.

 

 

I love these green tea  mints they taste good and they are natural antioxidants and this color green container makes me happy !

 

 

As far as  sweeteners go none of them are any good for you and that includes splenda (please correct me if I am wrong), EXCEPT this one Pure-Via all natural and made from the plant Stevia extract. I use it on everything from my oatmeal to my coffee. 

 

 

 I love this  candied ginger, it’s a natural candy for when you or your children have a stomach ach,  it’s a little strong but very tasty !

 I hope everyone had a great month, and next month I promise to post my April showers pics on time !

My motto for the month, “Life’s short, don’t sweat the small stuff !”

Simply enjoy… Christmas

PEACE…JOY…LOVE…

 

I love the natural colors of the local wineries and I love to use these colors in my home.

I  keep my decorations simple and fresh. I have  two trees in pots so I have the  trees up all year. So when Christmas comes around I add my black and white family photos in silver frames, and a little sparkle with silver antique bulbs and crystal ornaments. I love the fresh colors of white, silver gold and apple green with just a touch of red.

My living room has an antique piano and I have added some white flowers and an angel, and a silver crown.

Just a touch of greenery, pinecones, and  gold and brown ornaments for my sconces in my living room .

My breakfast table is set with a snack for santa, a brownie cupcake, mints, and coffee to keep him awake all night long…

 I think Santa will like the red reindeer plates given to me by Darrill’s mom, and the letter C cup for Christmas.

The dinning room table is still a work in progress, so far I have  set the table with white linens , white plates and a couple of pinecones Brandon brought to me from the local mountains.

 I use my silver reindeer vase for all of  my winter holidays, and I have added  fresh greenery from Trader Joe’s.

 

 I have cut some white roses from my garden and put them into my silver sugar cup, and I use the little snowflake spoon Darrill’s Aunt  sent to me.

In my bathroom and master bedroom I have a tall gold tree and another angel..

My wrapping is creams and golds and silver, and plain brown postage paper with white paper ribbons.  I make my tags with white paper stock and pine cone needles.

My entry table has fresh greenery and small white candles.

 I shop Trader Joe’s for their great selection of French truffles, candy, and Holiday cookies.  Trader’s Joes Greenery is so reasonable , I can add fresh greenery for my home for about $30.00.

I have  a little present filled with French Truffles for each family member for our Christmas eve dinner.

A Simply Earthy Christmas…

Joyeux Noel !